Broad-faced potoroo

Potorous platyops

Blamed on cats

IUCN status: Extinct

Last seen: Potorous platyops were last seen in 1875 in South Western Australia (IUCN 2023)

Studies in support

Broad-faced potoroos were last confirmed in Perth, WA 31 years after cats arrived (Current submission).

Studies not in support

Broad-faced potoroos were last confirmed in Norseman, WA one year before cats arrived (Current submission).

Is the threat claim evidence-based?

There are no studies evidencing a link between cats and the extinction of broad-faced potoroos. In contradiction with the claim, the extinction record from Norseman pre-dates the cat arrival record.

Evidence linking Potorous platyops to cats. Last records of extirpated populations relative to earliest local records of cats. Error bars show record uncertainty range. Predator arrival records were digitized from Abbott 2008.

References

Abbott, The spread of the cat, Felis catus, in Australia: re-examination of the current conceptual model with additional information. Conservation Science Western Australia 7 (2008).

Current submission (2023) Scant evidence that introduced predators cause extinctions. Conservation Biology

IUCN Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Accessed June 2023